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SEO Crash Course to Get Found (GF102)

Professor: Lee Odden, TopRank Online Marketing

©2009 TopRank® Online Marketing. All rights reserved.

SEO

CRASH COURSE

TO GET FOUND

Lee Odden @leeodden

TopRankMarketing.com


TopRankMarketing.com

•  Founded 2001 Minnesota •  Digital Marketing & PR Agency •  Search, Social Media, Online PR •  Consulting, Implementation, Training


SEO Consulting: PRSA.org Marketo.com PRWeb.com McKesson.com OneLegal.com

Lee Odden, CEO, TopRank Marketing

TopRankMarketing.com TopRankBlog.com [email protected] @leeodden

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•  Search Marketplace & Why SEO •  Search Engine Fundamentals •  Google Breakdown •  Keywords •  Search Engine Friendly Website •  Link Building •  Analytics

Agenda


Search Demand

285 million watched TV monthly

*Nielsen A2/M2 Three Screen Report

Daily newspaper circulation 48.4 million

*Audit Bureau of Circulations & Pew

14 billion core searches monthly

*comScore Media Metrix


Fish Where the Fish Are

Market distribution of the major search engines

Google 63.7% Yahoo! Sites 20.5% Microsoft Sites 8.3% Ask Network 3.8% AOL 3.7%

Source: comScore April 2009


SEO = Increased Conversions

Source: Forbes Ad Effectiveness Survey June 2009

SEO is the most effective Online Marketing tactic for generating conversions

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Case Study: Fabric Retailer

•  Overspending on ads •  SEO & Linking increased

web visitors by 214% •  5,332 inbould links •  60+ Top 10 rankings

including “fabric stores” •  Search sends 80% of web

site traffic •  Reduced marketing spend •  Increased sales jandofabrics.com


Case Study: Online Games

•  6 month old site, little traffic •  SEO & Social increase web

traffic by 4,400% •  23,614 inbound links •  Top 10 Google rankings for

phrases like: “online puzzles”

•  300,000 visitors per month •  Now sells advertising as

well as products smart-kit.com


What Happens With No SEO?

What we see



Help/Contact Us About Us Careers Press Partners Corporate Information Legal Store Locator WARNING: Email Scam © 2009 adidas

What search engines see:

Adidas has no ranking for “men's running shoes” first 10 pages on Google

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What we see



What search engines see: Sales, new gear and more: Visit a store: From our blog The Cleanest Line® Backyard Adventures: Toiyabe Trails - Part 1 Mention Nevada to most folks and what comes to mind is Las Vegas glam and desert heat.

Truth be… Product Testing - Whale Watching with a Wee One "Signatures" from Sweetgrass Productions Coming this Fall Subscribe to The Cleanest Line RSS feed E-Fiber Favorites Men's Polo Shirt Men's Simple Synchilla Jacket Men's All-Time Shell Women's Netty Dress Women's R1® Full-Zip Jacket Kids' Live Simply T-Shirt Freewheeler Voluntary Recall: Lotus Designs, Inc. is notifying consumers that the Mildwater PFD, may pose a potential

casualty hazard. If you own the Mildwater PFD, the Fishing PFD or the Patagonia Fishing Vest please read

this important notice.

PATAGONIA® CLOTHING & GEAR Men's Apparel: Shirts, Pants, Footwear Women's Apparel: Shirts, Skirts, Yoga Travel Gear: Luggage, Packs, Totes, and Backpacks Kids': Jackets, Pants, Fleece for Children Accessories: Posters, Blankets, Books Web Specials

Welcome to the Web site for Patagonia, a designer of outdoor clothing, outdoor gear, footwear, and luggage. Patagonia specifically makes hard shells, soft shells, rain jackets, ski jackets, ski pants, organic cotton clothing, sportswear, travel clothing, Patagonia fleece, technical Regulator® fleece, Synchilla® fleece, Capilene® underwear, Capilene Baselayers (and base layers), luggage, packs, backpacks, totes, haul bags, rolling luggage, wetsuits, rashguards, board shorts, surfboard bags, hats, caps, visors, bucket hats, belts, socks, books, posters, flying discs, and Patagonia shoes. For the young ones in your life we also make children's clothing, kids' apparel and baby clothes. Our online store, retail stores and independent dealers offer women's outdoor clothing and men's outdoor clothing, including jackets, outerwear, gear, sportswear, shells, pants, bibs, vests, pullovers, hats, gloves, waterproof jackets, waterproof pants, and windproof fleece for a variety of outdoor sports like skiing, snowboarding, surfing, camping, rock climbing, alpine climbing, hiking, trail running, yoga, mountain biking, world travel, kayaking, and disc golf. Still looking for Water Girl and Rhythm clothes? Patagonia makes great women's surf clothes and swimwear and functional clothes for rock climbing. If you're looking for discounted Patagonia gear or Patagonia on sale, visit our Web Specials page or check out one of our Patagonia Outlet Sales. Patagonia believes in causing the least harm while doing business so we Lead an Examined Life as a company and maintain transparency through The Footprint Chronicles™. Environmentalism, sustainability and a commitment to protecting the natural environment through activism are part of our company's heritage and continue to this day as we work to continually reduce our carbon footprint. We hope you'll subscribe to the Patagonia catalog and Patagonia emails, and stop by the Patagonia blog, The Cleanest Line®, every morning to read a field report or listen to a podcast while you enjoy your coffee. Patagonia.com is the online presence of the company, Patagonia, Inc. If the whiskey bottle gets passed around the campfire too many times, folks might try and spell Patagonia like patigonia, pategonia, padagonia and pantagonia. Thank you for visiting Patagonia.

© 2009 Patagonia, Inc.

#2 on Google “outdoor clothing”


All About the Google


•  Google makes a copy of the web •  Information is extracted •  An index is created •  Index is stored on servers world wide

How Google Works

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•  User searches (query) •  User location/login id’d •  Query matched with index •  Returns matching docs •  Docs are sorted (ranked) •  Docs displayed as search results •  Customized by location/history

How Google Works

Image Source: Google Corporate Technology


Search Engine Optimization

Definition of SEO:

A set of methodologies that make it easier for search engines to find, index, categorize and rank web content.


  Content is reachable by search engines   Content is added often/periodically   Content is organized logically – themes/

categories   Keywords exist in content and internal text links   Quantity of quality sites linking in   Monitor, adjust

Basic SEO Checklist


1. Keywords in content 2. Incoming links

Keywords

Key Word

Word

Key

Word

Key Word

Word

Key

Key Word

Key Word

Word

Key

Key Word

Keywords and Links

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How SEO Affects SERPs



Advertising

Organic



Pay Per Click Ads!The most prominent position can be achieved via Google AdWords ads. The best performing ads appear on top.!



News Results – Universal SERP!Certain queries that return more relevant results from other Google data sources will be displayed such as news, video, images, blogs, products or local info.!

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Sitelinks !Queries for company or brand names often return a company listing and display the most important links for the site. Sitelnks can be managed in Google Webmaster Tools.!



Standard Search Result!Web pages determined most relevant based on over 200 signals and influenced by standard SEO.!



Video results from YouTube!

Shopping results from Google Base!

Related queries!

Organic Results!These are the ranked results from Google’s index of web pages. Approx 60-70% of visitors will click on these links. Called “natural” or “free” listings because there is no direct payment to Google for them.!



Google Options!•  Videos!•  Forums!•  Reviews!•  Recency!•  Images!•  Related!•  Timeline!•  And….!

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The Wonder Wheel!


If it can be searched on

it can be optimized


SEO Fundamentals

Keywords Search Friendly

Site

Link Building


Keywords show intent: •  Broad •  Brands •  Specifics

Keywords

Research

Consider

Buy

Search Sales Funnel

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Find the keywords your customers use to find your products/services:

•  Brainstorm based on solutions & customer needs

•  Interview or survey customers •  Review current web analytics •  Poll sales & customer service staff •  Review competitor content

Keywords


Free: •  Google Keyword Tool, Insights, Ad Planner •  freekeywords.wordtracker.com

Paid: •  Wordtracker.com •  KeywordDiscovery.com •  SEMRush.com

Leverage Keyword Tools


Keyword Research


Keyword Research

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•  Category •  Popularity •  Competition •  Relevance

Keyword Glossary


•  Title tags •  Headings •  Paragraph titles •  Keywords in body copy •  Anchor text in links •  URL •  Image alt text •  Meta description tag

Keyword Optimization


•  Most important location for keywords •  Important keywords to the left •  8-10 words or about 65 characters •  Focus on 1-2 keyword phrases – specificity rules •  Each page on the site should have a unique

title tag (and meta description)

Title Tags


•  No: “McKesson Corporation” •  No: “Healthcare, Health Care, HealthCare,

healthcare, technology, services, information” •  Yes: “Improve health care services and increase

patient safety with McKesson”

Title Tags

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Making Sites Search Friendly

Issue: Needed better search

rankings

Problem: Most Title tags duplicates

Solution: Dynamically publish

unique titles


Optimize Digital Assets

Including Social Media

•  Text •  MS Office Docs •  Images •  Video •  Blog/RSS •  Media Coverage •  Social News/Bookmark

Optimize & Promote


•  Research customer driven keyword phrases •  Create a keyword glossary •  Consider searcher intent & buying cycle •  Use phrases in Titles, URLs, in body copy,

image alt text, links & navigation •  Extend keyword SEO to digital assets (on-page)

& social media (off-page)

Keyword Summary


Make it easy for search engines

Search Friendly Website

Easy to find & revisit

site

Easy to crawl links

Site Architecture

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Crawlable •  Quantity of quality inbound links to your site •  Use text links in navigation •  Use text links between pages using keywords •  HTML & XML site maps






Avoid Crawling Issues •  Unnecessarily complex URLs & session ids •  Multiple URLs to duplicate content •  Temporary redirects •  Site navigation with Ajax, Flash, JavaScript


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Make URLs search & user friendly



Primary site navigation Flash, Ajax or JavaScript




Fresh, themed content •  Logical site structure: categories, sub-categories •  Add new content regularly

Source: webmasterworld.com ©2009 TopRank® Online Marketing. All rights reserved.

Issue: Many pages not ranked

Problem: Robots.txt file blocking

bots Solution: Update ONE file

Making Sites Search Friendly

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Breadcrumb navigation

Canonical tag to avoid duplicate content issues

Link keyword phrases between pages



These URLs are all different, yet point to the same page:

Link consistently site wide: www.example.com



“Changing your web design, content management system or web site software can destroy your search visibility if you do not plan a migration.”

Just 1 character change in a URL can cause broken links:

company.com/product.htm company.com/product.html

Most Common SEO Mistake


•  Map old URLs to new •  Employ permanent redirects 301 (not 302) •  Identify top inbound link sources & ask them to

change links •  Build new inbound links to new URLs •  Monitor site analytics for 404 not found errors •  Monitor search engine rankings for fluctuations

SEO Migration Plan

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•  Ensure site content is discoverable via strong inbound links from other sites

•  Make it easy for search engines & users to navigate the site

•  Create a logical site structure with internal links & link consistently

•  Use CSS instead of Ajax, JavaScript or Flash for dynamic navigation and offer text link alternatives

Search Friendly Summary


Links

Inbound links are like electricity for search visibility


Why is Link Building Important?

•  Links build traffic •  Links infer meaning based on the text used in the link •  Variety is the spice of life for link text and sources •  Internal links are also important •  Inbound links from relevant, authoritative web sites are key


Link Building Checklist

 Use keywords in link text Yes: red widget No: click here

 Earn links with great content  Promote on social networks  Link up with marketing partners  Cross link internally  Embed links in news releases  Social bookmark pickups  Syndicate content via RSS

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Link Building Tactics Profiles Article Submissions Unpaid Directories Paid Directories Widgets Conference Sponsorships Association Sponsorships Aggregated Content Research & Surveys Blog Reviews Job Listings Testimonials Letters to the Editor Contributed Articles RSS Feeds Blogroll Bookmarking Social Media Pages Squidoo Page Applications

Optimized Press Releases Build and Host Useful Tools Awards (badge) Contest (badge) Cross link company-owned websites Write reviews Promote Content on Social Sites Blog/RSS Feed Directory

Submissions Ads on Search Friendly Sites Classified Ads Post Ebook or Substantial

Whitepaper Exchange links with marketing/

business partners Post Surveys Write Guest Posts on Other Blogs Speak at events, offer PPT with links

embedded Donate where a link of donors is

published

Transcribe video interviews to text as separate posts

Apply for industry awards, web site and blog awards

Ensure industry groups you’re involved with, link to you

Create a wiki Create microsites for causes,

events, specific purposes Affiliate program Become resource on Q/A websites

like Yahoo Answers Slideshare and similar content

hosting Monitor 404 stats and ask link

sources to fix broken links Solicit links directly from sources Provide ‘link to us’ content on blog

and/or web site Leverage publicity and media

relations for links Digital asset submissions: images,

audio, video ©2009 TopRank® Online Marketing. All rights reserved.

Social Media Link Building

Blog


Link Building Tool

Who’s linking to the competition and not linking to you?

ericmiraglia.com/inlink/


•  Linkscape •  BuzzStream

Link Analysis & Mgt Tools

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•  Create content worth linking to •  Promote your content via distribution channels

(email, RSS, social networks & media) •  Get links using your keywords as anchor text •  Focus on relevant, authoritative link sources •  Manage link building activity like CRM with

software

Link Building Summary


“If it can’t be measured, it’s not worth doing.”

Search Analytics


KPIs to pay attention to: •  Pages indexed •  Crawling errors & Webmaster Tools Reports •  Rankings relative to your own site over time •  Inbound links: quantity, quality, longevity •  Keyword referrals from search •  Link traffic •  Social media traffic •  Goal pages & conversions

Search Analytics


Analytics Tools

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Analytics Tools


•  Set goals for KPIs and outcomes (goals, conversions)

•  Take benchmark measurements •  Measure at regular intervals •  Spot check and enable real time monitoring •  Make sure you have the right analytics tools and

measuring the right data for your goals

Analytics Summary


SEO Takeaways

Keywords Search Friendly

Site

Link Building


Search Marketing Resources

•  searchenginewatch.com •  searchengineland.com •  webpronews.com •  blog.hubspot.com •  seomoz.org/blog/ •  toprankblog.com

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Lee Odden, CEO TopRankMarketing.com Twitter: @leeodden [email protected] 1-877-872-6628

Thank you

TopRankBlog.com

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